The Aftermath
by Shadows.Dance
Summary: In the quiet after saving the world again, Anzu looks after her friends.  And waits for the bus to finally arrive.


_Warnings: Atemu and Bakura have bodies. And no, I won't be explaining why. Just go with it._

_Edit: for Katara; because she can't stand to see his name spelled with an 'l'._

"The bus is late."

No one seemed to hear Anzu's passing comment as she glanced down at her watch. The bus should have been there almost forty-five minutes ago.

Having just saved the world (again), Anzu wanted nothing more than to just go home and sleep for a week; however, even though they had been lucky enough for this to happen on a weekend, they had a history test the next day and they needed to study, not to mention the rest of their homework, and oh god she hadn't even called her work yet—! She was so fired (_again_).

And if the damn bus didn't get here soon, she was going to scream.

Anzu grit her teeth and took a deep breath; at least this time they had stayed in Japan (if five hours away by bus). She shifted in the uncomfortable waiting chair and glanced around at all her friends.

Yuugi was _somehow_ sleeping, his head resting on Atemu's shoulder, who was also fast asleep, and resting his own head on Yuugi's.

Then again, they had been the ones to use the most Shadow magic, so she supposed it made sense they would be able to sleep anywhere, even on plastic chairs at a bus station that was not only just plain uncomfortable, but also swelteringly hot.

Anzu sighed again and fanned herself with a brochure. Jounouchi and Honda were bickering — something not unusual whenever they were tired and irritated.

Ryou was staring blankly into space — no doubt being yelled at for putting his life in danger by Bakura, wherever _he _was at the moment.

Marik was speaking quietly on the phone with his siblings, despite the fact that it was — Anzu glanced at her watch again and counted backward — four in the morning in Egypt.

Anzu glanced around at all her unlikely, and strange, friends. Here she was, sitting in an almost empty bus stations in the aftermath of averting the destruction of the world.

They had had to _walk _to the next town over to even find an open station that could get them home, once everything was over, since the city they had been in had been evacuated, and hadn't _that _been fun, with all of them exhausted and dead on their feet.

At least Marik had finally snapped and stolen a car (and _there _was something she'd never thought she'd say), but they hadn't had enough money to drive all the way back to Domino, and as it was they were now broke from buying bus tickets, even with the discount the girl behind the counter had given them when she had seen how ragged they all looked.

And _now, _apparently, the bus drivers were afraid to come anywhere near the fallout, even though _this _city hadn't been forced to evacuate.

Marik dropped into the seat next to her suddenly, and Anzu jumped. "How are Ishizu and Rishid?" she asked now that he was done with his phone call.

Marik smiled tiredly. "Worried," he said simply, "but they still can't get flights into Japan, so it looks liked I'm coming back to Domino with you guys, because I can't get on a flight _out, _yet, either."

Anzu smiled thinly, and Marik glanced absently up at the clock on the wall. "We need to find a better way to get around than public transportation."

Anzu snorted and rubbed her eyes. "Have Yuugi give Kaiba a call when he wakes up." Marik blinked at the non-sequitur, and so Anzu continued. "He's out of the country right now, but with Mokuba still here, he'll back back, well, soon. He can probably pick up your siblings."

Marik nodded, before yawning. "I just want to sleep..." he murmured, blinking slowly and not wanting to think about anything other than sleep.

Anzu glanced up at the clock once more. One hour. The bus was one hour late now.

"Go ahead," she sighed, "I'm too wound up to sleep; I'll make sure we get on the bus. _If it ever gets here._" She said the last part angrily, and Marik gave her a sleepy smile, but he didn't seem too keen to argue with her, and he quickly fell asleep.

Anzu glanced over at all her friends again, to make sure they were all still alright. It was silly — after all, hadn't they just taken care of anything that would threaten them? — but near-death experiences always seemed to make her irrational.

Jounouchi was shuffling his deck now, a nervous habit, and Ryou was holding his sprained wrist gingerly. Anzu stood, to make sure he didn't need it re-wrapped.

"You alright?" she asked when she stood over him.

Ryou blinked up at her in surprise. He still seemed a little out of it, which was probably an after effect from using Shadow magic, since she hadn't seen him sleep since they had got there. "Hmm? Oh, yes, it's just a little...uncomfortable."

Anzu nodded understandingly. "The heat probably makes the bandage feel weird, yeah?"

Ryou nodded distractedly. "Bakura says it's probably a result of so much Shadow magic...mother nature trying to balance herself out? Hm, he says it will probably snow here in a couple days...interesting, I never noticed before..."

Anzu turned, leaving him to his thoughts with a slight smile on her face, and moved to check on Jounouchi and Honda.

One hour and seven minutes.

"You two okay?" Anzu asked once she was close enough — and Jounouchi folded his arms.

"_I'm _hungry," he complained, "and man, I can't wait to get home and crash in my bed."

Honda nodded in agreement, and Anzu almost could have laughed at the looks on their faces when she reminded them about their huge history test Monday, if she hadn't been so exhausted.

She couldn't begin to imagine how Yuugi, Atemu, Marik, and Ryou felt, having actually _used _Shadow magic.

"Well, the bus should be here soon," Anzu said uncertainly, "so be ready to go."

Jounouchi and Honda saluted half-heartedly.

Anzu smiled slightly and moved to glanced at Yuugi and Atemu, still sleeping. She brushed the bangs out of Yuugi's eyes and smiled tenderly, before she moved back to her seat next to Marik and collapsed into it.

Silently, Anzu thanked all of her friends. Her heroes.

And they may be taking care of the world, but she was the one that took care of them in the aftermath.

The bus eventually got there (two hours and eleven minutes late, thankyouverymuch), and Anzu shepherded her friends on, Yuugi blinking blearily and leaning heavily on Atemu, Honda limping along with Jounouchi's help, and Marik shuffling his feet as Ryou helped him walk in a straight line, his own wrist cradled to his chest.

The bus driver eyes them in interest and more than a little warily, but a quick glare from Anzu, who had taken on the role of leader, kept him quiet.

"We just need to get to Domino City," she said wearily as she dropped into a seat on the empty bus.

"Got it."

Anzu finally felt the last two days and a half catch up with her, and she quickly glanced around at all her friends one last time. They were all in varying states of slumber, and Anzu allowed herself to smile.

They were alive. They had saved the world again, and they were all alright.

It was time to go home.

_Author's notes: Well, I like how that turned out, and I hope you did too. :) Please review!_

_Disclaimer: No. Just — no._


End file.
